Improvement in upright pianos



GEORGE c. MANNER,

Letters Patent o. 97,943, dated December 14, 1869.

o r N E W' Y on K, N.

IMPROVEMBNT IN UPRIG'HT PIANOS.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom 'it may concern Be it known that I, GEORGE O. MANNER, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Upright Pianos; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, andA exact description of the construction and operation of the same, 'reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making apart of this specification, Ain which the gure is a longitudinal vertical sec- Ation.

' This invention consists in placing the end of the supporting-beams that extend from the bottom to the top of upright-piano frames, at points between the front and rear sides of the top piece, and between the front and rear sides of the bottom pece,instead of at the rear sides of suchpieces, as heretofore, for the purpose of enabling the said beams to render a better Isupport to the top piece against the strain ofthe strings.

' Also, in connecting the sounding-board with an iron enclosing-flame, so shaped that the soundingboard shall receive a bellying form toward the strings,

when the` screws which confine them to the ii'ame are driven home.

Ais the top or rest-piece; AA, the side pieces; and A, the bottom piece of the supporting-frame ot an upright piano.

B arethe inclined strings.

Ordinarily, the strings ofu'pright pianos are stretched perpendicularly. The disadvantage of this position is that the pivot of the hammer-handle C cannot be located so near the strings as to necessitate the falling back of the hammer-head C' after each blow, and, at the same time, give suiiicient room for the action C. But, by stretching-the strings in an inclined position, the action may be located at a point which shall give it all necessary room, and which shall also be out ct' thevertical plane in which lies the-point of contact between the hammer-head and stiings. This location compels the hammer to fall back, after every blow, by its own weight. It also enables the 'stop that limits the backward fall of the hammer -to be placed at a point whence the hammer, on rising, gains enough momentum to deliver a blow ofthe. requisite force.

D are supporting-beams, placed between the top and bottom'pieces A A".

Usually, the supporting-beams of upright pianos are vertical, like the strings, and are located at the extreme rear side of the frame. As their function is to sustain the frame against the strain of the strings, it isobvious that s'uch a location prevents them from discharging this function to the best advantage, inasmuch as the strain has in its favor the leverage of the entire width of the top and bottom pieces.

My plan is, to place the ends of -the beams in lines midway, or otherwise, of the width of the topand bot tom pieces, and to pass vertical stay-rods D between `the rear sides of such pieces, such stay-rods having screws and nuts at their ends. In this way, the leverage that before was all in favor of the strain, is now turned against itfby so much as the ends of thebeams are brought nearer the front ysides of the top and bottom pieces, where they serve as fulcra, the power being applied by the strings, and the ,resistance being su plied bythe stay-rods. yE shows an iron 'ame,.sustaining the plate to. which the lower ends ofthe strings are attached, and provided with armsiee-, projecting horizontally rearward from top and bottom, between which arms the snpporting-beams are placed, the upper ones, e, sustaining the top piece A, and the lower ones, e', resting-on the bottom piece A. The frame and its arms are all cast in one piece.

The frame completely encloses the sounding-board E in a rabbet, e, that face of the rabbet on which the sounding-board rests being concave transversely, so that whenthe sounding-board is screwed down into* the rabbet, it shall take a bellying formtoward the strings, in the same manner and npon the same principle as 'a violin, so as to allow for expansion and contraction, andfavorably affect the tone of the instru;

ment.

The sounding-'board being aixed by screws to its frame, may be easily taken off at any time.

Packing, h, of any suitable material, is placed between the sounding-board'and the faces of the rabbet', v

Witnesses:

CEAS. A. PETrIT, SOLON C. Kanon. 

